Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Supreme One Has Returned
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"Eh? It's Yong-un!"
"Where? Where!"
"Over there, look."
Yong-un emerged from a quiet alleyway.
The Hanbit Guild members hurriedly straightened their clothes to look as presentable as possible, stiffening their postures and clearing their throats.
But that lasted only a moment.
One of the guild members pointed toward Yong-un, as if he'd seen something he shouldn't have.
"Hey... Cheon-il's with him too?"
"What?"
Kim Cheon-il—the kid they'd cursed as jinxed.
He was clutching Yong-un's hand tightly as they walked toward the Unwoo Guild office.
"......"
The Hanbit Guild members, unable to hide their shock, flushed red and averted their eyes from Yong-un.
Yong-un stopped in front of them, and Cheon-il ducked behind him.
"What are you all gathered here for?"
The hot-tempered hunter who'd bullied Cheon-il flashed a friendly smile and replied.
"Ah, the Unwoo Guild Master reviewed our contracts and texted us to come. So we're preparing for interviews here."
As if the earlier incident had been erased from his mind, he answered Yong-un steadily, looking perfectly kind and clever.
He even waved at Cheon-il, who was hiding behind Yong-un, as if seeing the boy for the first time.
"Who's that kid? He's adorable."
Swipe.
Cheon-il shuddered in fear and hid even further behind Yong-un.
He'd just entered middle school, so his height barely reached Yong-un's waist.
Yet the boy's trembling traveled up Yong-un's leg.
"Hello~"
The hunter greeted him with a bright smile, but a faint killing intent flickered in his eyes.
A thick malice that promised death the moment they were out of sight.
"What's your name?"
Yong-un's voice rumbled low.
The hot-tempered hunter grinned widely and snapped to attention.
"Yes, sir! I'm Kang Tae-jong of Hanbit Guild! Everyone here is from Hanbit Guild too..."
"Not you."
"Pardon?"
Yong-un bent his knees to meet Cheon-il's eye level.
"I'm asking you."
"M-Me? Eek!"
Cheon-il recoiled in terror upon making eye contact with Kang Tae-jong.
But Yong-un gripped the boy's hand firmly and urged him on.
"Don't worry. Just tell me."
"Ch-Cheon-il... Kim Cheon-il."
"Cheon-il, huh. What a pretty name."
Yong-un smiled warmly at him.
Then he straightened up and turned to Kang Tae-jong.
"Let's start the interviews now."
"Right now?"
The Hanbit Guild members exchanged panicked glances.
But Yong-un ignored them completely, his gaze icy as he spoke.
"It's simple. Whoever pleases Cheon-il passes."
"Yes!?"
Their faces twisted into a spectacle of despair, beyond mere confusion—like the world itself had crumbled.
Kang Tae-jong's expression was especially bizarre, frozen between a grimace, shock, and helplessness.
"Um..."
Still, he seemed to be the leader of this pack.
Kang Tae-jong quietly raised his hand.
"Impressing the kid is great and all, but it doesn't seem relevant to the interview, so I have a question."
But Yong-un ignored him cleanly and turned to Cheon-il.
"You pick them. Whoever you choose will join Unwoo Guild with you."
Realizing he couldn't sway Yong-un, Kang Tae-jong tried another tack.
"Hey, kid?"
He stepped closer to Cheon-il.
"That's far enough."
Yong-un lightly tapped Kang Tae-jong's chest.
It was the gentlest tap, but Kang Tae-jong's reaction was anything but.
"Cough! Cough!"
He staggered back, the center of his chest turning red and swelling up.
"That wasn't an attack, was it?"
"Protecting your leader is admirable. But... you have to know your opponent first."
Yong-un's eyes sharpened.
"Th-That..."
"You confident?"
"I'm sorry."
A local bully hunter versus a world-conquering one.
The gap between them was like heaven and earth.
B-Rank versus S-Rank made it even wider.
Yong-un slowly drew up his demonic energy.
"This much...?"
Every citizen of Korea had likely seen Yong-un's might on TV.
But seeing it on screen and experiencing it firsthand were worlds apart.
The Hanbit Guild members' bodies began to tremble under the overwhelming tidal wave of demonic energy squeezing from all sides.
"How does it feel? The fear you inflicted on this child."
"Th-That's not..."
"You thought I didn't see?"
Boom!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground beneath Yong-un's feet.
Pure pressure from demonic energy alone, no skills or techniques involved.
The shock sent the Hanbit Guild members tumbling backward in unison.
"I'll give you another chance. Cheon-il, you choose. Pick the hunters who'll join Unwoo Guild with you."
Yong-un's gaze shifted to Cheon-il, who clung to his thigh.
In an instant, the tables had turned.
The trembling from Cheon-il's body against his leg vanished, replaced by the Hanbit members' quaking that vibrated the air.
Sheltered behind Yong-un's immense presence, Cheon-il's fear melted away. He peeled himself from Yong-un's leg.
And declared boldly.
"No one! I'm going alone!"
Yong-un grinned and placed a hand on Cheon-il's head.
"Good. Then that's how it'll be."
The Hanbit Guild members' interviews ended one-sidedly.
Yet they lay there, unable to rise, staring blankly at Yong-un and Cheon-il's retreating backs as they headed into the office. They remained frozen in place for a long while. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back in the office, where interview preparations were in full swing, Yong-un called over Jin-cheol.
"What's with this kid?"
"He's a hunter joining Unwoo Guild."
"Th-This... kid?"
"More precisely, I'm taking him under my wing. Just change his affiliation here; handle the rest yourselves."
Jin-cheol tilted his head in confusion at the order but soon bowed as if it were no big deal.
"Understood. I'll take care of it."
"And exclude Hanbit Guild from the interviews."
"Yes, sir."
Even at the sudden command, Jin-cheol didn't question it. He rifled through the documents.
And crossed out every entry for Hanbit Guild with his pen.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you martial arts in the mornings. Gather just the elders."
"Just the elders, sir?"
For the first time, the guild master—who'd bowed to everything—asked a question.
Yong-un nodded as if it were obvious.
"While you elders trained, the others slacked off. Isn't that right?"
"Yes..."
"Tell the non-elders: if they want to learn martial arts, no skipping laps for the next month."
"Got it. I'll pass it on."
The guild master didn't argue further.
Accepting everything, he smiled at Yong-un, who had given wings to Unwoo Guild.
"Thank you. This is all thanks to you, Yong-un."
"Enough. Keep doing what you're doing. I'll show you even higher places."
"That's why we're changing how we address you."
Jin-cheol's abrupt request.
But Yong-un chuckled, finding it amusing.
"What'd you decide on?"
"Calling you by name forever didn't feel right, so we came up with something. How about 'Supreme One'?"
Supreme One.
Yong-un nearly burst out laughing.
"Is 'Supreme One' even a term used in Korea?"
"No, sir. We pondered it long and hard. It's not too light, but not overly heavy..."
"Call me whatever you like. I don't care."
"Thank you, Supreme One."
Supreme One...
It had been ages since he'd heard that.
'Does fate really exist?'
Embarrassing as it was, back in the Heavenly Demon Cult—from the Demon Dragon Corps and Demon Phantom General, to Ghost Killer Soul Annihilation, Phantom Demon, and Demon Phantom Assassin Corps—they'd all referred to him the same way.
Supreme One.
How intriguing.
He'd never demanded anyone call him that, neither in the cult nor in that reality.
Yet here, full circle back to this world, it was happening again. Yong-un couldn't hide his sense of wonder.
"I'm taking Cheon-il now. Proceed without me."
"Yes, Supreme One."
"Heh."
Smiling, Yong-un sank into the sofa. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "This is where you'll stay from now on."
Yong-un had asked the Sword Tiger to secure a house in advance.
Two houses in total: one for the Demon Dragon Corps, one for Ghost Killer Soul Annihilation. The one he'd brought Cheon-il to was the latter.
"Thank you."
Before bringing Cheon-il here, Yong-un had checked his details during the hunter contract for Unwoo Guild affiliation.
No family, no school.
B-Rank for a middle schooler—impressively high.
His listed address led to Hanbit Guild's office.
In other words, Cheon-il was a 14-year-old surviving off Hanbit Guild without a proper home.
"How long have you been on your own?"
"I don't remember. I've always been alone."
"I see."
Ignorant of family, Cheon-il spoke of solitude without a trace of sadness.
It seemed utterly natural to him, as if he'd been alone from the start.
Yong-un stroked his head and asked.
"Now I get it. Why they said those things to you."
"What things?"
"That you're jinxed."
Flinch.
Cheon-il, unmoved by "alone," reacted strongly to "jinxed," his body shaking violently.
"Did you contract with a demon?"
"......"
His biggest reaction yet came at the word "demon."
"Yeah... But how'd you know? I never told anyone."
"I sense impure demonic energy from you."
The same taint he'd felt from demons.
It pulsed strongly through Yong-un's hand on the boy's head.
A demon contract.
He'd heard of it before, so Yong-un grasped Cheon-il's condition instantly.
"Did something happen?"
"Well..."
Cheon-il fidgeted, fear plain on his face.
Yong-un smiled reassuringly and petted his head to ease him.
"Don't worry. No matter what you say, I've claimed you as mine. I won't abandon you."
"It's not that... What if you die because of me...?"
"No need to fret about that either."
Cheon-il knew Yong-un's power, so he hesitated briefly.
But only briefly.
Trust forming, he opened his tightly shut mouth.
"Truth is... when I'm in danger, it comes out. And when it does... everyone around me dies."
A child contracted with a demon.
"Want me to talk to it?"
Intrigued, Yong-un took Cheon-il's hand and pointed outside.
"Is that really okay?"
"Don't worry. If possible, you'll make the perfect assassin for Ghost Killer Soul Annihilation."
"Yeah! I trust you, big bro! I'll call it out!"
"Let's go."
Clutching Yong-un's hand tightly, Cheon-il followed him outside.